The Children of Iraq Have Names

[RedEarth]

The Children of Iraq Have Names

The children of Iraq have names.
They are not the nameless ones.

The children of Iraq have faces.
They are not the faceless ones.

The children of Iraq do not wear Saddam’s face.
They each have their own face.

The children of Iraq have names.
They are not all called Saddam Hussein.

The children of Iraq have hearts.
They are not the heartless ones.

The children of Iraq have dreams.
They are not the dreamless ones.

The children of Iraq have hearts that pound.
They are not meant to be statistics of war.

The children of Iraq have smiles.
They are not the sullen ones.

The children of Iraq have twinkling eyes.
They are quick and lively with their laughter.

The children of Iraq have hopes.
They are not the hopeless ones.

The children of Iraq have fears.
They are not the fearless ones.

The children of Iraq have names.
Their names are not collateral damage.

What do you call the children of Iraq?
Call them Omar, Mohamed, Fahad.

Call them Marwa and Tiba.
Call them by their names.

But never call them statistics of war.
Never call them collateral damage.


David Krieger
October 2002


David Krieger
60 years old
Santa Barbara, CA


David Krieger is a founder of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. He is the author and editor of many books on peace.

Poets Against War continues the tradition of socially engaged poetry by creating venues for poetry as a voice against war, tyranny and oppression

http://poetsagainstthewar.org/displaypoem.asp?AuthorID=2491#453079380

[renate]

1. the line that really got to me:

"They are not the fearless ones."

Children are so vulnerable and so helpless. It is so wrong that any innocent people, but especially children, should have to be afraid of what will happen to them in a war.